


A Content Calm

by storiofmylife



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 17:11:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11879064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiofmylife/pseuds/storiofmylife
Summary: Cosette was the one part of their lives they always agreed on, and she would always come first for them. She was their saving angel.





	A Content Calm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Darkhorse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkhorse/gifts).



> Just some cute family time fluff for you. Modern setting because I love the idea of them having a cozy home and doing weekly family dinners.

The old photos made him conscious of her age, of how much time had passed - and of what an interesting life they’d had. It hadn’t started off so easy for Cosette and Valjean. He smiled to himself as he fondly thought of the difficulty that Javert made it in the beginning. However taking in the small Cosette was the best thing to happen to him--no, to them.

The laughter in the other room made him smile as he put his attention to the food he was preparing, mentally going back to the moment an eight-year-old Cosette stumbled into him on the street. Malnourished and timid, Cosette seemed more like a ghost with her faded hair, and even messier clothes. Valjean hadn’t planned on putting much more thought into the little girl, until she had fainted right in front of him. No one seemed to pay attention to either of them, and he wasn’t willing to wait any longer to see if someone would.

In a panic, he swooped her up into his arms and brought her immediately to the closest medical center. After learning she was an orphan in one of the dodgiest homes of the neighborhood, and that it hadn’t been the first time she’d been admitted, Valjean knew he couldn’t let her go back there. Not while he had any say.

That became difficult when Officer Javert got involved.

As per usual, he thought. Valjean had known him since birth and they never quite got along. With a colored past, Valjean tended to avoid the ‘by the books’ Javert at all costs.

Cosette changed everything. After months of battling with one another over the best place for Cosette to live, Valjean and Javert rallied together when they realized just how horrendous the Thénardiers Orphanage was. It was the first time they agreed with one another. It was their combined efforts that even had the entire orphanage shut down until new caretakers could take over.

“ _Papa_ ,” Cosette’s voice called out to him. “Do you need help?”

“No, Cosette. I’m nearly done.” Laughter from the other room filled the house once more. No doubt from some comment his daughter made about his cooking.

Valjean had assumed he’d be on his own caring for Cosette. Javert had another plan, however. Every weekend, Javert would show up with warm food and a new toy or doll for Cosette. As months went by, her health bettered and she did more laughing than crying. The two men couldn’t be happier for her. It wasn’t for nearly four months later that Javert admitted he was wrong--something very unheard.

* * *

 

_The atmosphere was almost ethereal. The snow outside contrasted against the window panes, warm from the fire within the house. Cosette had been asleep for nearly an hour, while Javert and Valjean had just settled down on the couch to rest after cleaning up the child’s mess._

_They were silent, as they tended to be when Cosette wasn’t there to force conversation. The small sounds made were of the low television volume and the ice in their half-filled glasses. Javert’s voice was nearly hidden by the crackling fireplace._

_“Cosette is better with you.” Valjean looked over at Javert, but the officer refused to make eye contact. Valjean couldn’t help the crooked smile that appeared on his face, and tried to hide it behind his glass._

* * *

 

The feelings Javert and Valjean had for one another weren’t overnight. And as time went on, weekend visits became sleepovers on couches, which turned into dinners during the week. It was unspoken and neither questioned it. The excuse Valjean used in the beginning that, “Cosette comes first,” became only one of many to keep letting Javert in.

With each moment Javert began to learn about Cosette’s upbringing, he became more sympathetic to Valjean’s past indiscretions. Family became more important than anything else.

“ _Mon trésor_ ,” Javert’s voice came from the doorway. There was a soft infliction to his tone that Valjean only heard when in the comfort of their home together. “Are you trying to starve us?”

“I would never.” Valjean couldn’t hold back the smile from his lips. “But since you’re so quick to mock me, you can set the table.” He motions to the pile of plates and utensils on the counter. Javert smirked as he gathered them up, leaving a small kiss on Valjean’s cheek before going to the dining room. He laughed to himself as Marius offered to help, only earning a glare from the older man that forced him from the room.

Cosette brought light back into Javert and Valjean’s lives; which had been jaded by the world that they lived in. As she made friends and memories, she shared them with her fathers. Soon enough their meals were louder and more vibrant in conversation. And while they didn’t get along every moment of every day, they respected the other's’ opinions.

“ _Papa_ ,” the whine Cosette gave from the doorway was no different than the one she gave a child. In Valjean’s eyes, she’d always be his little angel, his _petit ange._

“Zette, whining will not make the food cook faster.”

“I can try.” Her smile widened as she moved through the doorway and wrapped her arms around his torso. Valjean placed a loving kiss on the top of her head, both of them noting the ring on her finger that reflected from the kitchen lighting.

“Did you think your life would include a growing family when you were little?” Cosette’s question came from a common background as his own and he shook his head honestly.

“I didn’t even consider it as a possibility.”

“Me either.”

“Are you happy, _ange_?”

The calmness that overcame her told him the answer, but she spoke it out loud anyway. “I am.” After a pause, “Are you?” He looked down at his daughter, their daughter, whose attention had turned to the various photos stuck to the refrigerator.

“Of course.” His eyes met Javert’s form who was meticulously arranging the seating and tableware. Of course, he repeated mentally.


End file.
